(Updates with FDA comment in paragraph 12)

By Manuel Jimenez

SANTO DOMINGO, May 22 (Reuters) - The Dominican Republic has banned the sale of two brands of Chinese toothpaste because they may contain a lethal chemical responsible for mass poisoning deaths in Panama last year.

Nearly 90,000 units of the toothpaste, imported from Panama and sold under the brand names Excel and Mr. Cool, have been confiscated by authorities in the Caribbean country since late last week, Dominican Health Secretary Bautista Rojas Gomez said on Tuesday.

"Laboratory tests have confirmed that the content of these toothpastes can cause kidney problems," Rojas Gomez told Reuters. "That's why a nationwide seizure has been ordered."

Panama pulled thousands of tubes of the toothpaste from stores last week after tests showed they contained high levels of diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in engine coolants.

No illnesses have been reported from the contaminated paste.

Diethylene glycol was blamed for the deaths of at least 100 people in Panama last year after government-made cough syrups were found to contain the chemical, used in place of a similar but more expensive safe compound frequently found in medicines.

The two toothpaste brands entered Panama illegally from China through a free-trade zone, Panamanian public investigators said.

At least five import and distribution firms are under investigation in Panama.

Panama's attorney general will deliver a report on the toothpaste investigation and try to identify the culprits, a spokesman said.

China announced plans to strengthen domestic food safety on Tuesday amid growing concerns around the globe about Chinese food products and other items tainted with toxins, fake ingredients, and diseases reaching foreign markets.

This spring, U.S. consumers were alarmed by a spate of pet deaths blamed on tainted wheat gluten and rice protein exported from China, as well as reports of toxins and disease in other Chinese exports.

"We're following the situation closely and considering our options," U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesman Doug Arbesfeld said regarding the new toothpaste concerns.

The safety of food imports from China will be discussed during economic talks in Washington, another U.S. official said. (Additional reporting by Elida Moreno in Panama City, Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Susan Heavey in Washington)

AlertNet news is provided by